A Morphin Legacy
by JessAngelus
Summary: Post Dino Thunder. After nearly a decade and yet another Ranger color, Tommy reaches out to the only woman who has ever truly held his heart. What was the real reason behind Kimberly's letter? Can they still have a future together after all this time?
1. A Broken Hart

A Morphin Legacy

Summary: Post Dino Thunder. After nearly a decade and yet another Ranger color, Tommy reaches out to the only woman who has ever truly held his heart. What was the real reason behind Kimberly's letter? Can they still have a future together after all this time?

Rating: T for now, I'll change it if I decide to smutty this up.

Pairing: Duh! Tommy/Kim, touches of past Jason/Trini. Other pairings to be announced.

Disclaimer: I don't own the cluster-f that is the PR world right now, and I don't want to. That's Saban's mess.

Timeline: This fic will actually cover a wide range of points in time but will mostly be post Dino Thunder and up to present day. Not canon compliant after Dino Thunder.

AN: I know, I know. I have so many other fics going but… This was just sitting on my computer so I decided to share it. A fic unread is a fic wasted, right? And for those of you who haven't read my stuff before, I like to warn people in advance to avoid hurt feelings. I hate Katherine. I don't plan to bash her, she honestly might not even make an appearance in this story, but just in case I like to warn people. Stuff happens.

Unbeta'd. Any mistakes are my own. Sorry.

Chapter 1

A Broken Hart

….

' _Dear Tommy,'_

Kimberly wiped her eyes as tears blurred her vison. Why was life so cruel? After her father's infidelity and her parents' divorce, Kim never thought she'd ever trust anyone with her heart. Never believed she'd ever allow herself to fall in love. Then that fateful day in the halls of Angel Grove High happened. A boy in a green and white hoodie "rescued" her from Bulk and Skull. She looked into those soulful chocolate eyes, and that was it. Protecting her heart had never been an option because it belonged to him from that moment forward, and it would for the rest of her life. However long or short that may be.

Which brought her back to the cruel hand fate had dealt her. 2 weeks ago she'd gone to the team's doctor for a routine physical. She'd felt fine, if maybe a little tired. Which was why she'd been completely blindsided when the doctor told her the results from one of her screenings.

She, Kimberly Ann Hart, 17 year old Elite Gymnast and former Power Ranger, had cervical cancer.

Her world had completely fallen apart. The doctor tried to comfort her. They caught it early. It was operable. The games were still several months away and if they got the surgery done quickly, she should be recovered enough to compete.

The risks at her age and physical condition were minimal. She would probably survive. But she could never have children.

 _Tommy…_

Her handsome, sweet, loving, brave, selfless Tommy… was adopted. His parents had adopted him when he was 6 months old. Growing up he had always known he was adopted, and his parents made sure he knew they couldn't have possibly loved him more if he'd been theirs biologically. But a year into her and Tommy's relationship, during one of their many cuddle sessions, Tommy had confessed that he'd always felt like something was missing. He loved his parents very much, but a part of him longed for family that was his by blood.

They were only 16 at the time, but neither one of them had any doubt that they were each other's futures, and the topic of one day having children wasn't something they shied away from. That day, sitting under a tree in the park, with Tommy's head laying in her lap, she and Tommy happily made plans to rectify the issue of Tommy's lack of blood relations. Once they graduated college and got married, and weren't saving the world from evil space aliens, of course.

3\. That's how many kids Tommy wanted. Well at first that number had been much higher, but at Kim's horrified look, Tommy had settled for something more reasonable. They'd even named them. She'd never forget the look on his face as they planned their future together. So happy and full of hope and excitement. For a moment they forgot the weight of the world was on their shoulders and that they risked their lives everyday to protect the Earth. They were just 2 kids in love, dreaming about tomorrow.

But now that tomorrow would never come. There would be no beautiful cubby cheeked infants with her eyes and Tommy's smile. And if he stayed with her… he would never have his dreams for a family come true. She loved him too much to do that to him. She could never cost him something that important.

She had to let him go.

With tear filled eyes, and shaking hands, she wrote the letter that would shatter both their hearts. Oh how she wished she could tell him the truth. But she knew she couldn't. He was the leader of the Power Rangers. The Earth needed him and she couldn't be selfish. If he knew the truth, he would been too worried about her to focus on the Rangers. The others had told her how he reacted when she was kidnapped by Zedd, and later when she'd been hospitalized after her fall from the beam. This was so much worse than that. She couldn't do that to him. What would be the point? He was better off without her now.

There was a new Pink Ranger. One that had made her intentions towards Tommy clear from the start. Maybe now Kat would take her place in more ways than one.

 _I'm so so sorry, my love. I'd give anything to not have to do this._

She closed her eyes and sealed the envelope. She addressed it to the Youth Center. She didn't want him to be alone when he read it. He would need their friends… his friends now. They'd hate her after this. But that was the price she had to pay.

 _Goodbye..._

….

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nor was I about to spend countless hours doing research for this fic. I apologize for any inaccuracies.

Reviews are appreciated.


	2. Farewell Yellow

A Morphin Legacy

Chapter 2

Farewell Yellow

…..

 _Kim's POV_

2 years ago, I watched my best friend and my 'big brother' promise each other forever. 6 months ago, I stood at their side while my godson was brought into the world. Now I stand here, wrapped in my 'big brother's' arms as my best friend is lowered into the cold ground. Jason is shaking, and I think I'm probably the only thing keeping him vertical right now. I know the only thing keeping me standing is the strong hand clenched in mine.

I look to my left at Tommy standing next to me, his right hand holding my left. His other arm is holding Brennan, Jason and Trini's 6 month old son. His godson. For the second time in my life, I'd give anything to change what's happened. Anything.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Trini should have made it home that night. But she didn't. She was headed home from her job at the clinic. Trini Scott had become a nurse, something their other friends felt was perfect for the wise, compassionate former Yellow Ranger. She was driving home after a 10 hour shift. It was raining, and she lost control and her car went over the side of an overpass. She died instantly.

Now Brennan would have to grow up never knowing his mother. Though everyone was determined that he would know _of_ her. She would never be forgotten.

Jason asked me to speak at her funeral in his place. My big brother was a mess and I seriously doubted his ability to string a full sentence together, so I agreed. I told tales from their childhood. I spoke of how I knew Jason and Trini loved each other before either of them did. I said many things about the woman who'd been my best friend since 1st grade. But I can't remember any of it. It's all a painful blur as the kindest woman I have ever known was placed in the ground.

I returned to my spot at Jason's side and Tommy was there a moment later, holding my hand in silent support.

This was the first time we've seen each other since Jase and Trini's wedding. Tommy was the Best Man and I was the Maid of Honor. To say it was awkward would be an understatement. Tommy brought his friend Haley as his date and she spent most of the evening glaring at me. I did my best to ignore them both but it's hard. I have to remind myself every day that I gave him up for a reason. I wanted him to move on. Well, maybe _wanted_ isn't the right word.

Only Jason knows the real reason why I broke up with the love of my life. I begged him not to tell Trini. I knew they'd get married one day and I never wanted Trini to feel like she couldn't share her joy with me if they one day had a family. I stand by that decision.

I'm glad that the last memories I had with Trini were happy ones. They're all I have left.

…

 _Tommy's POV_

I learned the hard way, years ago, that life rarely ever goes the way you planned. If someone asked me when I was 17, what life would be like now, never in a million years would I have guessed this. Standing here at the funeral of one of my oldest friends, holding the hand of the love of my life who left me for another man.

Sometimes life is a real bitch.

I'm proud of Kim though. I usually am. But today, it's even more so. I can feel the tremors in her tiny hand and I know she's close to breaking. But she's holding it together for Jason. Besides Jase, Kim was closest to Trini and I know she's incredibly hurt by all this, but she's never wavered for 1 second. She's been his rock since the moment she showed up at their house in Surfside. I'm worried about her though. All those emotions are going to come out sooner rather than later, and she's going to fall apart. Someone needs to be there when she does, and as much as I know he'd want to, it can't be Jase. He doesn't have it in him right now.

I don't want to admit how badly I want it to be me.

Even after all these years, Kimberly gets to me like nothing else and not for the first time, I'm left wondering where it all went wrong.

….

"Trini Kwan-Scott has been my best friend since the 1st grade. In a lot of ways she was more like my sister than just my friend. She was the kindest, sweetest, most compassionate person I've ever met. And she'd kick my butt if I didn't mention the smartest." Kim sniffled and managed a watery smile.

"I honestly don't remember life before Trini. I don't think Jason does either. And I can't fathom what life will be like without her. She was like sunshine, lighting up the world by just being her. Trini taught me to believe in myself. To never back down. To never give up. I'm going to need a lot of reminding in the days to come…"

Zordon's other 8 Rangers, those who served as Might Morphin, sat in silence as their original Pink spoke about their original Yellow. Some had known her since childhood, some had only known her through the tale of their friends, but they all knew the world suffered a great loss the day Trini Kwan-Scott took her last breath.

"So, I'll close with this. We love you Trini. You'll always be missed. But in our hearts you'll always live, and never say goodbye."

…..

OMG this hit me in all the feels. I never did a tribute to Thuy Trang, so this was my attempt. Hang in there, it gets more Tomberly centric soon.


	3. Missing Pink

A Morphin Legacy

Chapter 3

Missing Pink

…..

Dr. Thomas James Oliver, doctor of Paleontology, longest serving Power Ranger, holder of the most Ranger colors, creator and mentor of the Dino Thunder Rangers. Master of regret.

Tommy had accomplished a lot in his life. More than most. But there were some days, like today, when the giant hole in his life was too much to ignore. Mesogog was defeated, the Dino Gems were destroyed, the kids were graduating, and Anton Mercer had just asked the same question that had been haunting him for the past few days.

"What's next for you?"

Tommy honestly didn't know. Oh, he gave him an answer. Stick around and teach. But what else? He knew his life was missing something and after being back in uniform it had become painfully clear to Tommy exactly what that something was. What he was missing while he was in Black, was the same thing he had been missing while he was in Red.

Every time he morphed and went to battle with the team, he was missing Pink. Truth be told, he'd been relieved there hadn't been a Pink Dino Gem. There was only one person he could ever see using it and anyone else would have just been a painful distraction.

 _Kimberly…_

He hadn't seen her since Trini's funeral 2 years ago. There was so much he wanted to say to her that day but hadn't had the chance. She'd been so busy with Jase and Brennan, and he hadn't been able to stay long after the funeral. He had to be on the first flight out the next day for his internship with Anton Mercer.

But god he missed her.

He'd picked up the phone to call her 100 times over the last few months, but never went through with it. So many nights he lay awake, torturing himself with pointless 'what ifs'. What if she never went to Florida? What if he went after her when he got that heartbreaking letter? What if he hadn't been dating Kat when she came back to Angel Grove with Jason? What if, what if, what if…

It was 8 years ago, but he still hadn't been able to let go. Tommy had given up on dating years ago, opting to focus on his work instead. It was better that way. His relationship with Katherine had been a disaster from the start. He hadn't gotten over Kimberly in the slightest when he asked her out. But it was what she wanted and what the rest of their friends thought was best for him. He needed to move on. But it hadn't been fair to Kat. The Pink Zeo Ranger was constantly, albeit unintentionally, compared to Kimberly and always found lacking. After they graduated and Kat got into a dance academy in London, they went their separate ways. Though their parting hadn't been on the best terms. Kat was hurt and bitter that Tommy was so accepting of their break up, and lashed out at him, accusing him of still being in love with Kimberly. A fact that he hadn't denied. There was no point. She was right.

He'd had a couple of relationships since then but neither had lasted very long or been very serious. He was still very much in love with Kimberly Ann Hart, and he probably always would be.

So now the question was, what was he going to do about it?

….

"See you tomorrow Julia." Kim said with a wave as she walked out of the gym. She hopped in her BMW Z3 and drove the 10 minutes to her apartment in downtown San Diego. Kim's apartment was a spacious, modern, tastefully decorated unit on the 11th floor in a great part of the city.

At 25 years old, Kimberly Ann Hart was proud of her life. After her surgery, she'd made a quick recovery and went on to compete in the Pan Global games, earning a silver medal on Floor and gold on Beam, before she went on to complete in the Olympics helping Team USA earn a team silver medal, and won gold on Beam as well as All Around. After that, she was determined to make something of herself outside of gymnastics and went to the University of Miami and graduated top of her class with a degree in business.

After her godson Brennan was born, Kim decided to move back to California and took a job at a gymnastics school in San Diego as a coach. Her personal life wasn't too bad either. For the past year she'd been seeing Graham Miller, a good looking, charismatic Army Sargent. He was sweet, with beautiful icy blue eyes and treated her well.

Kim had a lot going for her. But reminding herself of all her accomplishments did little to banish the empty feeling inside that had been a constant for the past 8 years. No matter how hard she worked, how hard she pushed herself, with gymnastics, with school, with work, nothing ever filled the void.

Kim shook her head to dispel her melancholy thoughts and tossed her purse on the couch. She walked into her kitchen to grab a bottle of water when her cell rang.

"Hello?"

" _Hey Angel. How was your day?"_

"Hi Graham. It was good. The girls are really making progress."

" _That's good to hear. You're not tired are you?"_

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Not very. Why?"

" _Well I wanted to take you out tonight. I managed to snag reservations for that Italian place on 5_ _th_ _you've been dying to try. How's 7?"_

Kim smiled wistfully. So much for curling up on the couch and having a pity party. "That's sounds great. I'll meet you there."

" _Great. See you soon. I love you."_

"You too."

…..

"Wow that place was amazing. Definitely worth the hype." Kim commented after they left the restaurant. It was a warm night and she and Graham decided to take a walk along the pier not far from the restaurant. The strings of lights reflected off the water and bathed them in a warm glow.

"I'm glad you liked it." He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. The walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Graham stopped, rubbing the short hair on the back of his head, a sure sign he was nervous. "Kim… there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Kim looked at him expectantly.

"Kim… I love you. So much. I've never met anyone like you. I honestly can't image my life without you. And I don't want to try."

Kim's eyes widened. "Graham…" _Please don't do what I think you're going to do…_

Graham cupped her cheek, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away, reaching into his pocket.

Kim took a step back. "Graham, don't." She whispered.

Heedless to Kim's warning, he pulled a black box from his pocket and got down on one knee. He opened the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond solitaire set in a beautiful gold band.

"Kimberly Hart, will you make me the happiest man on Earth and be my wife?"

Kim squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing thickly. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him but…

"I can't."

Graham gaped at her for a moment, still on one knee, frozen in shock. He shook his head to clear it and stood. "Kim…"

"I'm so sorry Graham, but I can't marry you. I'm just not ready for that."

"Kimberly, I'm not saying we have to get married today. We can wait a while, if that's what you need."

She shook her head sadly. "No."

"I-I don't understand. We're happy together, we love each other-"

"Sometimes that's not enough."

"Why can't it be enough? I don't understand you Kimberly. We've been together for over a year, and it's like every time I try to take the next step, you push me away. I thought maybe you just needed proof that I was all in. Well here it is! I'm all in! I'm committed to you, Kimberly. I'm not going anywhere. But I need to know that you're all in too."

Kimberly looked away, unable to meet Graham's pain filled eyes. She didn't love him the way he loved her. If she was honest, she didn't love him at all. She liked him, she liked him a lot but that was no basis for a marriage. He deserved better. It was time to set him free.

"I'm sorry Graham. You and I just want very different things. I have no interest in marrying anyone. Not now… maybe not ever. You deserve to be with someone who can love you the way you love them." She reached out and touched his cheek gently and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I hope you find her."

With that, Kim turned and walked away, never looking back. She walked back to her car and drove home. She walked in to her quiet apartment, showered and got ready for bed. Never once did she shed a tear. This wasn't heartbreak for Kimberly. This was just another day. She'd felt true heartbreak years ago. Nothing that has happened since that fateful day has even come close to the pain she'd felt then, the pain she still felt deep down in her soul. Nothing could ever compare to losing Tommy Oliver.

…

" _Hello?"_

"Hey Jase."

" _Tommy! Hey bro, how you been?"_

"Good, good. How about you? How's my godson?"

" _Getting into shit. I swear man, this kid's got his mom's intelligence for sure. He's already trying to take stuff apart. Bren's a handful."_

Tommy chuckled. "Sounds about right."

" _To what do I owe this honor? You're not calling me out of the blue for no reason." Jason said with a smirk._

"I've just… had a lot on my mind lately. Being back in uniform and all… I guess it got me thinking about the past."

 _Jason saw where this was going but he'd play along. "Anything in particular?"_

Tommy ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Have you heard from Kim lately?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

 _Jason laughed. "Took you long enough to pull your head out of your ass, bro."_

"What's that supposed to mean?"

" _It means you're as stubborn as she is. Just call her, man. The male population of San Diego will thank you for it. Trust me."_

Tommy frowned in confusion. "I don't understand."

" _I got a call from her not too long ago. Apparently, the guy she was seeing decided to pop the question."_

Tommy felt his blood run cold. "Oh… um… well…"

" _Dude, breathe. The poor guy is probably going to need therapy. Kim said no. She doesn't date much, but when she does, she never gets too close to anyone. Sounds like someone else I know."_

Tommy released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Kim wasn't getting married. But she could have easily said yes, then where would that leave him?

 _Jason sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Look bro, you need to talk to Kim. Or who knows what could happen. You'd think you two would have learned from me and Trini… Imagine if I'd have waited as long as you have to tell her how I felt. I would have missed my chance. I wouldn't have gotten to marry her, I wouldn't have my son, I wouldn't have the years of happy memories with her. Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. Stop wasting time that you'll never get back."_

…..

" _Hey Kim, it's Tommy. Um… it's been a while. Listen, I'm gonna be in San Diego for a conference on Saturday and I was uh, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to grab dinner or something and catch up. Give me a call back and let me know. Bye Kim."_

Kim stared at her phone in shock as the voicemail ended. Tommy wanted to see her? She hadn't seen her ex-boyfriend since Trini's funeral. Did she want to see him? Dumb question. Of course she wanted to see him. But _should_ she? Even after all these years her decision to let him go still hurt. She loved him, she always would, and she'd questioned her decision to break up with him thousands of times over the years. Tommy Oliver would always hold a piece of her heart, but what could she possibly offer him? The circumstances were never going to change. She'd never be able to give him the family he deserved.

But maybe… maybe they could at least be friends. That was probably all he wanted anyway. For all she knew, he could be in a relationship.

Kim nodded to herself, her decision made, and she pressed the button to return the call.

" _Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Thomas Oliver. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

Kim rolled her eyes at the professional sounding outgoing message, a small smile playing on her lips. "Hi Tommy, it's Kim. I uh, I got your message. I guess we're playing phone tag. Saturday sounds good. It'll be really nice to see you. Just let me know where and when. Bye."

Kim ended the call and took a deep breath. 4 days. She'd be seeing Tommy in 4 days. Was she doing the right thing? Could she really be friends with the love of her life without getting her heart ripped out?

She was about find out.

…..

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I know we got off to a pretty angsty start, but it'll get fluffier. I promise. Up next, Tommy finds out the truth about Kimberly (which is NOT fluffy). Stay tuned.


	4. Dinner and Confessions

A Morphin Legacy

Chapter 4

Dinner and Confessions

…

Kim checked her reflection in the floor length mirror for what felt like the hundredth time, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from the mauve colored cocktail dress. Her black sling back, peep toe pumps gave her a nice height boost and beautifully accentuated her toned legs. Her hair was down in loose waves that fell to the middle of her back like flowing caramel.

She fought the urge to bite her lip, not wanting to reapply her lipstick again. She was nervous to say the least. She was supposed to be meeting Tommy at a quaint little bistro downtown in 15 minutes.

Tommy. The man who would always hold her heart. She almost backed out at least a dozen times in the past few days, but a stern phone call from Jason kept her from giving in. Jason had never agreed with Kimberly's decision to end things with Tommy, firmly believing that Tommy needed to know the truth and make his own decision. But Kim was stubborn. More than that… she was scared. Her believing Tommy was better off without her was one thing. Hearing that Tommy believed so himself, having him reject her because of the limited future they would have if he chose her, was something entirely different. Something Kimberly wasn't sure she could handle.

But she wouldn't lie to him. If he asked her about the letter, she would tell him the truth. If he didn't bring it up, then neither would she.

Sighing, Kim picked up her purse and headed out the door, praying she wouldn't be crying herself to sleep tonight.

…..

Tommy shifted his gaze from his watch to the door and back again. He'd arrived at the bistro early, knowing he'd never live it down if he was late. But now it looked like Kim would be, if she even showed up at all. He'd known it was a risky move, asking her to meet like this after not seeing her for 2 years, but what else could he have done? After the year he'd had and his recent conversation with Jason, he wasn't content to just push his feelings aside any longer. They'd wasted too much time as it was, and he had to know if there was still anything between them. He had to know why it all fell apart all those years ago.

So caught up in the whirlwind of questions running through his mind, he almost missed her entrance. Almost.

Tommy stood abruptly, spotting Kimberly by the door to the restaurant and promptly forgot how to breathe as she saw him and a warm smile lit her face. She was beautiful. She always had been to him, but now she was even more so if that was possible. The years had certainly been kind to Kimberly Hart. She was still short and petite as she had always been but gone was the girl he'd fallen in love with at age 15 and in her place was a stunning goddess of a woman. Her body was still that of a gymnast, but she'd filled out more in all the places that made Tommy's knees weak. Suddenly she was in front of him and Tommy realized he'd been staring like an idiot and blushed, grinning sheepishly.

"Tommy, hi." Kim said as she reached the table, a light blush of her own coloring her cheeks at his obvious admiration.

"Kim." Tommy said softly, and surprised them both by pulling his former girlfriend into a hug. "It's really good to see you."

"You too." Kim said honestly, not the least bit surprised at how affected she was by his presence. Some things never changed.

Tommy broke away and pulled a chair out from the table for Kim. "Here."

"Thanks." Kim smiled, he was always the gentleman.

Tommy took his seat across from her, folding his hands a bit nervously. "So, how have you been?"

"Um, good. I've been good. The school is doing really well. 2 of the girls just qualified for Nationals, and really boosted registration. The owners are thinking of expanding. There's already another school in LA, they're thinking somewhere a little smaller this time. Maybe Mariner Bay."

"Mariner Bay is nice. That's where LightSpeed was based." Tommy told her.

"I know. I've been there once or twice. Carter is a friend."

Tommy blinked in surprise, eyes narrowing slightly. Just what kind of friends had she been with Carter Grayson?

As if reading his thoughts, Kim smiled gently. "His wife Dana is really sweet. I like her."

Tommy nodded, slightly relieved. "Yeah she is. They're good people."

"Anyway, enough about me. What's new with you? Jason told me about that whole exploding Island things a couple years ago." Kim said after they placed their orders.

"Yeah, that was a mess. One that only recently got resolved." At Kim's confused look he continued. "It was one of those situations not unlike what we used to deal with. And well…uh…I sorta picked up another color along the way." He said pointedly.

Kim eyes widened as she got his meaning. "What? You mean the team in Reefside…"

Tommy nodded. "I'd love to give you the details, but we should probably discuss that somewhere a little more private."

Kimberly nodded, though the thought of being anywhere that could be considered private with Tommy made her stomach flip flop.

Their food arrived and the evening went by smoothly, the pair discussing lighter topics and chatting like old friends, though the underlying tension was palpable. Kim could tell Tommy wanted to ask her something but kept skirting around the issue, which was fine with her because she had a pretty good idea what he wanted to talk about and it was something she desperately wanted to avoid. Alas, her luck didn't last.

"Kim, can we go somewhere and talk?"

She swallowed thickly. "Sure Tommy. My apartment's not too far from here, if you want." She heard herself say. Truth be told, she was terrified, but Jason was right. Tommy deserved the truth if he wanted it.

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good."

Despite Kim's protests, Tommy paid the bill and they left the restaurant and headed to Kim's home.

….

Tommy sat on the couch in Kimberly's spotless apartment, at bit surprised at the décor. It was nice of course, and the apartment was obviously expensive, but it just didn't seem like _Kim_. It lacked much of the warm homey feeling he would have expected from the original Pink Ranger's living space.

Kim appeared at his side a moment later and he accepted the glass of wine she handed him. "So, tell me about this new Ranger team."

"Uh well, while on the island I found the Dino Gems. I recognized them as a pretty strong power source almost immediately, but apparently I wasn't the only one. A creature named Mesogog was after them so he could complete his plans to return the world to the days of the dinosaurs. Some of my students accidently found and bonded to the gems. I anticipated something like that happening so with some help from Haley, I made the Dino Thunder Rangers."

Kim blinked in surprise. "H-Haley knows about the Rangers?"

Tommy ducked his head a bit, a little embarrassed. "Yeah. She found out about my history by accident. Apparently, I'm not as covert as I thought. But it worked out. Without Billy around, there was no way I would have been able to pull off creating a Ranger team without Haley's help."

Kimberly shoved down the jealously rising up in her stomach. Tommy wasn't hers anymore. If he was happy with Haley, then good for him. Maybe if she said it enough, she'd start to believe it. "Oh. Well that's, um… that's good. Are you two…?"

"Uh no. No, Haley and I have never been more than friends." Tommy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. This was the opening he'd been looking for. "What about you? Jason mentioned there was someone not too long ago."

Kim shook her head and sighed. Of course Jason would have told Tommy about the epic failure that was her love life. "There was, but it's over. It was for the best all around. We wanted different things."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem too upset about it."

"That's because I'm not." Kim said simply.

"Kim… can I ask you something?"

Kim took a long sip from her wine. "Technically, you just did. But sure, go ahead."

"What happened between us? I mean, I know it's been a long time, and maybe it doesn't matter anymore but… I always wondered. I loved you. I know the distance was hard but… I thought we were happy, Kim. I guess I just never understood what went wrong." Tommy looked down at his hands, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "What I did to make you fall for someone else."

It was the whispered words that finally broke Kimberly's long held resolve. When she'd written the infamous letter, she was young and naïve, thinking that with time their pain would fade and Tommy would fall for Katherine's advances and forget about her and the future they could no longer have together. But looking at the man her love had become, she knew she'd been wrong. He hadn't forgotten her, and instead of making things easier for him as she intended, by keeping silent she'd instead robbed him of his peace.

"Tommy, I'm sorry. I… god I screwed everything up."

"No, Kim. You can't help who you fall in love with. I just-"

"No! You don't understand." Kim stood and walked over to the window, unable to look at Tommy, knowing what she had to tell him would hurt them both deeply. "I lied to you, Tommy. There was no one else. There wasn't anyone else for years."

Tommy stood too, staring at Kimberly's back in shock. "What?"

"I… I loved you. More than I have ever loved anything in this life. But you were better off without me."

"What would you think that?! Do you have any idea what losing you did to me, Kim? Did you even care?!" Tommy demanded, ever ounce of his hard won discipline was all that kept him from grabbing her and forcing her to look at him.

"Of course I did." Kim whispered, her voice thick with tears.

"Then why?!"

"Because, Tommy… I had cancer." A sharp intake of breath was her only response and she finally turned to look at him.

His hands shook and his face was ashen. Tommy opened his mouth to speak but no sound would come out.

"I-I had cancer. Cervical cancer. They caught it early but… I had to have surgery." Kim explained quietly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Tommy took a shaky step towards her, his eyes pained and glossy with unshed tears. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because the world needed you."

"And you didn't?"

Kim shook her head. "I always needed you. More than anything. But I would have been a distraction. If you were worried about me, you or someone else could have gotten hurt."

Tommy closed the distance between them but didn't touch her. Not yet. "Yeah, Kim, I would have been worried, I would have been distracted, but I would have walked away. I would have gladly handed over my morpher so I could be there for you. Don't you know that?"

Kim shook her head again. "I could never have asked that of you."

"You wouldn't have had to. You were my everything, Kimberly. I would have done anything for you."

"I know. It's because I loved you so much that I let you go, Tommy. We made so many plans, had so many dreams… dreams that I couldn't have anymore. I didn't want to take them away from you too." Kim said brokenly, wanting more than anything to be in his arms, but didn't dare.

"What are you talking about?"

"The surgery… Tommy, I-I can't have children. Not ever. And I know how much having a family meant to you and I doubt that's changed. My dreams were crushed but that didn't mean you had to give up yours too. So, I let you go. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I did it… for you."

Tommy stood in stunned silence, staring into the tear stained face of the only woman he ever truly loved. For years he wondered what tore them apart, yearned for answers. Whatever he'd expected her to say, this wasn't it. Kimberly Hart, his Beautiful, his _everything_ , had cancer and fought it alone so he could continue to protect the world. She suffered in silence and broke both their hearts because she believed she could no longer be what he wanted.

Tommy pulled Kimberly into his arms, crushing her to his chest. "I love you." He whispered into her hair. "I love you so much, Kim. I never stopped."

Kim sobbed brokenly against his chest as he lovingly stroked her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Tommy picked her up and moved back to the sofa, settling Kim in his lap. He wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "It's okay, Kim. I understand. And I forgive you. But you should have told me the truth from the beginning. Then I could have told you that it didn't matter. That all that mattered to me was that we were together. And I still mean that, Kim. I love you. I have _always_ loved you. Yeah, I want a family, but if I can't have that with you then I don't want it. You're the only one I could ever imagine spending the rest of my life with. I still want to be with you… do you?"

Kimberly stared into the soulful eyes of the only man she'd ever loved, slightly red from the tears he'd shed. "It's all I've ever wanted."

"Me too." He whispered and he leaned down, capturing her lips in a tender kiss and for the first time in nearly a decade, he felt like he was home.

…

AN: Hope you all had a great Christmas or whatever you celebrate. Thanks for all the reviews. They keep me going. And let me tell you, it's a struggle. Is anyone else just plain heartbroken over the state of our beloved Tomberly? I'm just crushed, it's like Saban doesn't care! Anyway, that's why we have fanfiction, right?


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